This invention relates to containers. More particularly, it relates to a container having eight vertical sidewalls and a glued-automatic type bottom. The invention further relates to the blanks used to make such containers.
A variety of containers that are presently in use are formed from one or more paperboard blanks that are divided by fold lines into a plurality of side panels. This type of container has attained a great popularity because it may be provided with varying number of sides, it is relatively inexpensive to produce, and takes little storage space in its folded condition. In addition, it can easily be made attractive by, for example, decorative printing and provides adequate protection for many types of articles.
Most containers of this type, however, are provided with a bottom formed by a single panel that is joined to a side panel along a folded line. The drawback of this type of bottom is that it has a tendency to "push out" when the contents of the container is relatively heavy. The problem of "pushing out" has partially been eliminated by the development of the well known glued-automatic bottom type of container. This type of bottom is utilized when the container is intended for packaging relatively heavy objects, such as bottles of liquid. The automatic bottom comprises a number of bottom panels which are connected to each of the side panels of the container by fold lines. During construction various bottom panels are glued, or otherwise bound to each other, such that the combination of bonded and folded bottom panels interlock with each other to form the bottom of the container.
Unlike the simple folded bottom initially described above, the automatic bottom does not require any manipulative steps on the part of the user to form the bottom of the container; rather, the bottom is automatically formed when the container is opened to its full form.
Although the automatic bottom has solved the problem encountered when packaging heavy items, it has not been possible to date to develop an eight-sided container provided with an automatic type bottom. The need for an eight-sided container which is provided with a bottom capable of supporting considerable weight is well known, particularly in the liquor industry, where the need for a container to conform as closely to a round bottle is needed to conserve space on the shelf as well as during shipment.